Counting Stars
by Victoria-BlackHeart
Summary: Sequel to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love". As Desmond, Ezio and Connor head into their last year of high school, Malik and Altaïr head into their first year of college. As with everything that happens, it won't be an easy one, filled with homework, gossip, civic duties, relationship issues, and everything else that comes with being a teenager. Rated for language
1. Oh The Joys of School

_Oh yeah! Sequel time! Get ready for another crazy school year that involves college, high school and a few surprises. Yikes!_

_Anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

The alarm clock went off, blaring loudly in Connor's ear.

Connor groaned, and rolled over. He squinted, and reached over, shutting the clock off. He sighed, and rolled back over, shutting his eyes, attempting to get more sleep.

That wasn't going to happen.

There was a loud knock on his door, followed by a booming voice, "Connor time to get up! You got school today!" Connor opened one eye, and groaned again. His grandfather, Edward Kenway, was a bit too happy that his grandson was going back to school for his last year of high school. Connor sat up, and Edward opened the door, a big grin on his face, "Rise and shine!" He walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. Connor squinted again.

"Grandpa," he grumbled, but pulled himself out of bed. Edward placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two walked out of the guest room and into the kitchen. There was a pile of pancakes on the table. Connor sat down, and felt his phone go off. He looked at the screen, and saw it was from Desmond, "Desmond's up early," he said, and began eating the pancakes.

Edward sat down across from him, "How are you feeling?" he asked, and Connor looked up.

"Ok," he said, "but glad this is my last year of high school," he said, and Edward smiled, "Dad called last night while you were out, and he said he wished he could be here."

Connor's dad, Haytham Kenway, was at a rehab center to help with his alcohol problem. Connor didn't know his dad before last year, when his mom died of cancer, bringing Haytham back into his life. The two didn't get along at first, but slowly, as the school year went on, they started to get closer, and it was only when Connor ran away that the two realized how much they needed each other.

Connor looked up at his grandpa. It was strange that he didn't know these two men this time last year, and now it was like they never left his life. Connor smiled at him.

* * *

"Desmond! Time to get up!"

Desmond groaned, "This happens every year," he mumbled, and pulled himself out of his bed, heading into the kitchen. His dad, William Miles, was placing toast on the table.

"You're up. That's surprising," his dad remarked, and Desmond sat down.

"I had to find out where Connor was staying for when I pick him up," Desmond said, and began buttering his toast. His dad sat down, and began reading the newspaper.

"Haytham still gone?" Bill asked, and Desmond nodded, "Hopefully he gets back soon," Desmond nodded again, and looked down at his phone. Ezio was texting him, asking what time he would be at his house.

"Why is Ezio in a good mood?" Desmond grumbled, and Bill chuckled.

"Last year of high school, the guy's excited," Bill suggested, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Too excited," Desmond mumbled, "It's Monday."

* * *

Ezio was pretty much dancing around the kitchen, humming and smiling, "What the hell?" he turned around and saw his older brother Federico standing in the doorway of the kitchen, yawning, "Somebody's excited."

"Of course! Last first day of high school!" Ezio said, grinning from ear to ear. Federico shook his head, and walked over to the coffee machine. He turned it on, and began brewing coffee.

"So, how do you feel about Altaïr and Malik being away from you guys?" Federico asked, turning around. Ezio looked at him.

"It's gonna be weird," he admitted, "I know they were both nervous about moving into their dorms today, and were wondering who their roommates are," Ezio said.

The day before, the group of friends had thrown a going away party for Malik, Altaïr and Shawn. The three were heading off to college, each in a different state, and this was the first time in eleven years that they were separated.

Ezio finished eating his breakfast, and looked down at his phone, "Gotta run, Des is on the way. See you after school!" Ezio said, bounding up the stairs. He passed his father, who simply chuckled and went downstairs to get his morning coffee.

* * *

"We're here."

Altaïr opened his eyes, and looked out the window, taking in the campus around him. His dad turned off the engine, and gripped the steering wheel. His step mom, Raya, reached over and squeezed his shoulder, "You ok dad?" Altaïr asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he said, and the three got out of the car. Altaïr picked up a box and looked at the campus.

His new home.

"Alright," his dad said, pulling out the letter. Altaïr saw his hands were shaking, "Your dorm is the second one on the left," he said, and they began walking through the campus.

Altaïr saw a lot of new faces, each with the same confused and scared look on their faces. He chuckled to himself, but on the inside he felt the same way. They stopped in front of a large building, and saw there was a welcome sign.

"I guess this is it," Altaïr said, and they walked inside.

There was a mixture of parents and students, each chatting with resident assistants. Altaïr's dad looked down at the letter, "Room 202B," he said, and they began walk up a flight of stairs. They stopped at a room, and opened the door.

There was a small common area, with the shower on one side of the room and the bathroom on the other. There were two doors, "At least you only have to share the bathroom with one other person," Raya said, and Altaïr nodded. They heard voices from inside the room on the left, so Altaïr assumed he had the room on the right. He took out his key, and opened it.

There was a desk with multiple shelves, a large closet, and a dresser that had a shelf above it and a small space that looked like it could fit a fridge, "This is nice," his dad said, as Altaïr placed the box down on his bed. There was drawers under the bed, and a shelf above it, along with a bulletin board above the bed.

They heard the door open, and Altaïr heard a familiar voice, "You're joking."

Altaïr turned around, and groaned, "You've got to be kidding me."

There, in the doorway, was his new roommate, Robert de Sable. Altaïr's dad saw the look between the two, but de Sable's mom didn't notice, "Oh this is great! Your roommate is someone you already know!" his mom exclaimed, and Robert narrowed his eyes, glaring at Altaïr.

"Yeah, it's great," Robert said between clenched teeth, and Altaïr remained silent. Robert's dad, however, noticed the tension, and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Let's get the rest of your things," he said, and the three left. Raya looked over at her husband.

"I'll go grab some stuff," she said, and left, shutting the door. Altaïr looked at his dad. His dad stood a few inches taller than him, but other than that they were the spitting image of each other.

"Dad," Altaïr said, "I'll be fine."

"I know...it's just...It's going to be different," his dad said, running a hand over his short hair, "Raya and I are very proud of you," he said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, "And...I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, but it's only three hours," Altaïr said, smiling. His dad chuckled, and hugged him, holding his son tight, "Come on. Let's finish moving me in."

* * *

"Wow! This place is amazing!"

Kadar said, looking at the giant campus. Malik ruffled his brother's hair, and the two walked to his dorm, their parents trailing behind. Mrs. Al-Sayf was sniffling, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Malik looked around the dorm, scanning the room numbers for his. He and Kadar climbed up another flight of stairs, and came to his room. Malik took out his key, and unlocked the door.

A young man was hanging posters on the wall, but turned around when he heard the door open. He had dark brown hair and tanned skin as well, "You must be Malik," he said in Arabic, which surprised Malik a bit.

"Uh, yeah," he said, answering the man in Arabic.

"I'm Rafiq," he said, walking over to shake his hand, "You from Syria?"

"My parents are. I've only ever been to visit my grandparents. Me and my brother weren't born there," he said. Malik's parents appeared in the doorway, each holding a box, "Mom, dad, this is my roommate, Rafiq."

"Nice to meet you," his dad said, and Rafiq smiled.

"I have to go meet my parents downstairs. They want to go out for supper. I'll be back later," Rafiq said, and walked past them. Malik looked around.

"So this is it," his dad said, "Our boy is growing up," His mom held back tears, and Malik turned around.

"Mom, it's only two hours away," he said, walking over to her.

"I know but...it's going to be different," she said, and pulled him in for a hug, squeezing him tight.

"Mom..."

"You have to call us every week, and tell us what's going on," she said, wiping away tears. His dad placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go get the rest of his stuff," he said, and they left, followed by Kadar. Malik looked around his room, taking it all in.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Malik turned around, "What are you doing here?" he asked, crossing his arms. Daniel smiled, leaning against the door frame.

"What I'm not allowed to pop in and see how the rookie is doing?" he asked. Malik raised his eyebrows.

"I thought returning students didn't move in until tomorrow," Malik said, frowning. Daniel chuckled.

"I live off campus with Ben and three other guys from the swim team," Daniel explained, "Plus, Sofia wanted me to tell you that she wants us at the gym first thing tomorrow morning. Starting training," he said, and walked over to Malik, "Don't get lost. She'll make you run five extra laps."

"I won't be," Malik said.

"I can show you were the gym is," Daniel offered.

"I can find it on my own," Malik said, and Daniel shrugged.

"Suit yourself," he said, smiling, "I'll leave you to get settled," Daniel turned and left the room. Malik sat down on his bed, and pulled out his phone. He saw a text from Altaïr.

**So...roomie's de Sable...might have him killed before break haha :p**

Malik rolled his eyes, and sent a response.

**Daniel showed up...surprise surprise. This is going to be an interesting year.**

* * *

_And that it shall be Malik, that it shall be.  
_

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Until next time!_

_Peace!_


	2. Excitment Around Every Corner

Five am.

Malik put in his headphones, and Sofia blew her whistle. The team began laps around the track while their coach stood off to the side, coffee in hand. She was wearing a blue pant suit, and her hair was piled in a bun on her head. Malik looked around, and saw a bunch of the guys had bags under their eyes, and were yawning.

After his parents and Kadar had left, Malik finished unpacking, and then called Altaïr. They spent an hour on FaceTime, then Malik had to go so he could be rested for the early morning exercise. Altaïr had grumbled something about de Sable, to which Malik had chuckled and reminded him not to end up in jail, as it was only the first week of classes.

Malik focused on his running, keeping his breathing even, and pacing himself at the same time. He saw Daniel behind him out of the corner of his eye, but the older man was catching up. Church was also behind them, yawning as well.

After they had finished their laps, Sofia made them do core exercises. She watched them carefully, yelling at them if they were doing it wrong or not quick enough.

After that, she made them stretch. Malik checked his watch. It was now six, but he had a feeling it was far from over. He looked up, and saw Cross looking at him. Malik looked back down, and focused on his stretches.

After that, they finally got in the water. What they had done was a warm up, as Sofia had put in nicely. They began laps in the water, while Sofia yelled and blew her whistle.

After she was satisfied with the practice, she called them out of the water, "Good work for the first day back," she said, her eyes scanning all their faces, "As you know, at the beginning of every year, we always have a dinner so that you can all meet your new teammates," They young men nodded, "Now, I won't be able to make it, because I'll be out of town, so I expect you to treat them with respect, or you'll hear from me, understood?" she stated, and they nodded again, "Good. Cross has graciously offered his house for it, so I expect everyone to be there this Saturday, and I will know if one of you don't go," She pursed her lips, just looking at them, "I'll see you all tomorrow morning. Same time," The group went back to the lockers, and began getting ready for their day.

Malik pulled out his phone, and winced, his shoulder tender, "You alright?" he turned around, and saw Benjamin Church, Daniel's partner in crime, fixing his hair.

"Yeah. It's just my shoulder," Malik answered, and checked the time. The schedule said that meal hall was open, but they didn't have hot food until 7:30. He figured by the time he got there it would be ready. Malik checked his own hair, flicking it back into place, then left the locker room.

Daniel was leaning against the wall, checking his email. Malik walked by him, and Daniel glanced up, "Where you going?" he asked, and Malik stopped.

"Breakfast," he answered, "then class."

"I'll probably see you around campus later. Have a good first class," he said, and Malik nodded, then left. Benjamin came out of the locker room, "Took ya long enough," he said, annoyed, as the two headed outside to Daniel's car.

"Malik's shoulder is still hurting him," Benjamin said, as they climbed in, "He was in pain when we were in the locker room."

"Really," Daniel said, starting the car. A smile broke out on his face.

"Oh no. What are you thinking?" Church asked.

"You'll see."

* * *

Altaïr woke up, and heard de Sable rushing around, _He must be running late,_ he thought, and swung his feet over the edge of his bed. He got up, and stretched, then heard his phone go off. He grabbed it, and saw Ezio was calling him. Altaïr rolled his eyes, but answered anyways, "Hey Ezio."

_"What's up college boy?"_ Ezio was in a good mood.

"Nothing. Gonna eat soon," Altaïr answered, and he heard de Sable swear. He must have hit his toe on something.

_"How's living with Robert?_" So that's what this is about. Altaïr pulled open a drawer, and pulled out a shirt.

"We have decided to only speak to each other if necessary," Altaïr answered, and heard the door close, "Which I hope is never. How's high school without us?"

_"Boring. We have no excitement in our lives anymore,_" Altaïr chuckled, and pulled on his shirt.

"Oh I'm sure something will happen soon enough," he said, and switched hands, looking for jeans, "It always does."

"_Yeah that's true. Anyways, I gotta go. Des is on his way. Have a good first day college boy!"_

Altaïr hung up. Ezio could be so annoying. Altaïr grabbed his backpack, and headed down to the dining hall, grabbing a quick bite before his first class.

He decided to walk outside, and get a sense for the campus. It was a fairly small campus compared to some of them he'd seen, but it was nice. He saw groups of students walking around, trying to find their way around. Altaïr chuckled. During the summer, he and Malik had driven to see the campus, and had taken a tour, locating everything themselves. Altaïr had a good memory, so he remembered which building his first class was in.

He pushed open the door, and climbed up the flight of stairs. His first class was English, which was probably going to be boring like high school English.

"I can't believe it. Altaïr."

Altaïr froze when he got to the classroom door, and turned around. _You're joking,_ he thought, _Please let this be a bad drea__m or something_. A few feet away, stood someone he hadn't seen in a year.

His ex girlfriend, Maria Thorpe.

Maria walked over to him, "I didn't know you were going to this college," she said, smiling.

"I thought you were in England," was all Altaïr could get out. He was in shock. The last time he had seen Mari was when he broke up with her, over a year ago, and the last time he actually spoke to her was almost a year ago, when he told her that he and Malik were a couple.

She didn't take that too well.

"Yeah. I decided to come back and study over here," she explained, "So...where's...him?" He noticed the venom in her voice.

"Malik? He actually got a full scholarship to another school, and he's on the swim team," Altaïr said, crossing his arms. The look on her face changed.

"So he's not here?" she asked, and Altaïr mentally kicked himself, "Strange. So, you're doing long distance," she stated, and Altaïr knew where she was going with this.

"I have class," he said, and went into the classroom, leaving his ex outside. He sat down, and breathed out. Moments later, the prof came in, but Altaïr could only focus on his meeting with Maria.

If she was at the same school, this was going to be a problem.

* * *

_Oh noes! How do you solve a problem like Maria? (see what I did there?)_

_Anyways, in the next chapter we shall see how the high school boys are doing._

_Until next time!_

_Peace!_


	3. Changes

Connor walked into his first class, Calculus and smiled. He loved math, which Ezio never understood why, but Connor found it fun. Connor looked around, and saw Warren walk in and frowned. He didn't know Warren was in his class, but he looked lost. Connor ducked his head, hoping Warren didn't spot him.

Too late.

"Are you saving this seat for anyone?"

Connor looked up, and saw Warren standing next to his desk, "Uh, no," Connor answered, and Warren sat down taking out his books.

"You're...Connor right?" he asked, and Connor nodded, "One of Lucy's friends," Again, Connor nodded, "It's nice that I know someone in this class," he said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Uh, yeah. Same here," Connor said, and pulled out his phone. Class hadn't started yet, and Achilles was nowhere to be seen. Connor sent a message to Desmond.

**Uh, what's up with Vidic? He's acting...nice and stuff.**

Connor looked up, and frowned. Where was Achilles? He looked down and saw Desmond had answered him.

**Tell me about it. He sat down next to me in biology and decided that we should be lab partners.**

"Good morning class."

Connor looked up, and was a bit taken back by the teacher. It wasn't Achilles. He was a younger looking man with dark hair and a bit of facial hair, and he was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a button up shirt, "I'm sure some of you are wondering where is," Connor nodded, along with a few other students, "Well, is not feeling well, and has decided to take an early retirement," Connor's heart stopped.

Achilles was sick?!

"I'm your new teacher, ," he said, writing his name on the board. Connor felt numb, "Alright, let's begin."

* * *

Ezio looked up from his book, and saw Lucrezia Borgia standing in front of him. He sighed, and put his book down, "Can I help you?" he asked, and Lucrezia sat down.

"Yeah, you can," she said, and looked down at her hands. Ezio waited, then he finally spoke.

"Listen, if this is some stupid prank that your brother put you up to, you can tell him to f..."

"He wants your help with something," Lucrezia said, cutting Ezio off. Ezio raised his eyebrows, "I know you two don't get along, but...he's in danger of failing again, and our parents threaten to send him away if he doesn't get his marks up."

"And I care why?" Ezio asked, crossing his arms. He was in a good mood, up until Cesare's stupid sister had bothered him.

"He knows that you're smart, and your friends are smart, and he wants help with some subjects," Lucrezia explained.

"Why can't he ask me himself?" Ezio asked.

"You know why. He's too proud to admit he needs help," Ezio agreed with her on that statement. Cesare had the problem of not believe he had a problem, "So...will you do it?" Ezio leaned back in his chair.

"Here's the deal," he said, looking at her, "I'll consider it, but if he truly wants my help, he needs to ask me himself, understand?" Lucrezia nodded, and got up, leaving. Ezio groaned, dropping his pencil on the table, "Some school year this is going to be," he grumbled.

"Ezio!"

He turned around and saw Leonardo walking towards him. Ezio's day immediately got better, "Hey Leo," he said, as his friend sat down.

"What did Lucrezia want?" Leo asked, "I saw her leave," Ezio rolled his eyes.

"She wants me to help Cesare pass school," he said, and Leonardo chuckled.

"That would take a miracle. I'm surprised he made it this far," Ezio nodded in agreement, "Have you heard the news?" Leonardo asked.

"What news?"

"Achilles is sick," Ezio's heart stopped.

"No way. Poor Connor. He loves that guy. How do you know?"

"I had this new math teacher," Leonardo explained, "Duncan Walpole. He seems like a jerk," Leonardo said, pulling out his textbook, "He gave us an assignment already!" Ezio chuckled.

"Well, we are in our last year, they expect a lot of us," he reminded his friend.

"Apparently," Leonardo grumbled, and looked down at the questions, "I wish Achilles was back."

"Hey at least you don't have La Volpe for English and Italian. That guys gets gaga over everything he reads," Ezio said, and Leonardo chuckled.

"That is true. And at least neither of us have Al Mualim for history," He was referring to the teacher that gave Altaïr and Malik hell last year, "Desmond said he know understands why they hated that class," Ezio smiled, and they heard the door of the library open. Desmond walked in and sat down, "Hey Des we were just talking abou..."

"Maria's back," Desmond said, cutting them off. Ezio and Leonardo's eyes went wide, "She's at the same school as Altaïr. He ran into her this morning."

"Has he told Malik?" Ezio asked, and Desmond shook his head.

"Not yet. He's going to call him later tonight."

"That's not good," Leonardo said, "And I thought she left for good."

"No she wanted to come back and study over here. Altaïr is losing his mind," Desmond said, pulling out his phone and reading the new text he just got, "He needs to calm down."

"You don't think she'll try anything, will you?" Ezio asked, and Desmond shrugged.

"She's conniving, you never know," he said, "And Malik said Daniel is being Daniel. Maybe the two of them should date," Desmond said.

"I always thought Maria and Robert would make a cute couple," Leonardo said, and Desmond and Ezio looked at him, giving him weird looks, "What?"

"I can't believe you said that," Ezio said, "Can you imagine if one day Altaïr came home and Maria was over with Robert in their room? He would probably lose his mind."

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen," Desmond said, and they nodded.

* * *

Connor walked into the convenience store, and Cristina looked up, smiling, "Hey how was school?" she asked, as Connor dropped his backpack off and got out his name tag.

"Achilles is sick," he said.

"Oh no. I hope it's nothing serious," Cristina said, and looked back down on her sheet, "Speaking of serious, how's your dad?" Connor had told Cristina everything over the summer.

"Good. He just wants to come home now," Connor said, and began stalking the shelves, "I want him to come home too. I miss him," Cristina smiled, and heard the door open. She looked up.

"Hi there," she said, and the girl walked over to the counter.

"Is Connor here?"

Connor poked his head around the corner, and smiled, "Hey Aveline," Aveline turned around.

"There you are," she said, walking over to her boyfriend, and giving him a hug. Connor caught the look on Cristina's face, and he rolled his eyes, "I didn't get a chance to see you today. How were your classes?" Connor shrugged.

"Eh, would have been better if Achilles was there," he answered, and finished staking the candy. He saw a look on Aveline's face, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um, are you busy the weekend?" she asked.

"No, why?" Connor asked.

'You know how...I've been putting off you meeting my parents?" Connor nodded, "They want you to come over Saturday for supper," Connor saw the look in her eyes.

"Is...is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"No, but...I'm nervous about it," she admitted, and Connor chuckled.

"Hey, it can't be any worse than when you met Haytham," he reminded her, and Aveline smiled a little.

"True, but my step mom is a bit...judgmental," she said, "My dad is going to love you, but...I'm worried about what she would say," Connor took her hands, and squeezed them.

"It will be fine. I'll be on my best behavior, and I'll even bring dessert. What time?" he asked, and Aveline smiled.

"Six, and don't be late," she said. Connor gave her a quick kiss, and Aveline left the store. He saw Cristina had the biggest grin on her face.

"Wipe that look off your face," he said.

"Awww that's adorable. You have a girlfriend," she said, and Connor glared at her as he walked back around the counter, "Speaking of that, is Ezio seeing anyone?" Connor was a bit surprised by this question.

"Nope."

"Ok. Just wondering," Connor raised his eyebrow.

"Do you...have a crush on him?" he asked, and Cristina looked up, shocked.

"What?! No! No!" Connor simply shook his head, and patted her shoulder.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night."

"Shut up Connor."


	4. Girl Problems

_So the plan for these chapters is that I will alternate between Malik and Altaïr for one chapter and the high schools boys for another, expect for when they meet up with each other._

_Anywho, enjoy!_

* * *

Malik walked into his class, and looked around, trying to spot an empty seat. He found one near the middle, which wasn't too bad. He walked over, and sat down, pulling out a clipboard and a pen. He looked at the clock. Still fifteen minutes before class starts. Malik pulled out his phone, and began playing a game.

"Um, is this seat taken?"

Malik looked up and saw a young woman standing at the end of the row he was in. Malik shook his head, and she sat down, "I was afraid I was going to be late," she said, smiling.

"I'm sure the prof would forgive us on the first day," Malik said, and she chuckled.

"I don't know. I've heard horror stories from my friends about college profs," she said, pushing a strand of her red hair back, "I'm Caterina," she said, introducing herself.

"Malik."

The prof walked into the lecture hall, and walked over to the board. Malik looked down at his phone, and saw a message from Daniel. He rolled his eyes, and opened it.

**Swim team meeting at lunch. Don't be late.**

Malik sent a quick reply back, then closed the message, "You know Daniel Cross?" Caterina asked, and Malik looked over.

"Uh, yeah. We're on the swim team together," he answered, "How do you know him?"

"Everyone at my high school knows who he is," she said, and Malik rolled his eyes again, "You don't like him, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Malik asked, and began taking notes. Caterina also began taking notes, and the two were silent for the remainder of the class.

At the end of the lecture, the prof explained how the lab sections would work, and said that labs would begin next week, "What lab slot are you in?" Caterina asked, and Malik pulled out his schedule.

"Uh, I'm 2-5pm on Wednesdays. You?"

"I have the same one!" Caterina said, smiling, "Wanna be lab partners? That way we can get together and do the write ups together," she suggested, and Malik nodded.

"Sure that sounds good to me," The two walked out of the classroom, and down the hall, "What class do you have next?" he asked, and she looked at her schedule.

"History," she answered, "You?"

"I have a break," Malik answered, "So I think I'll go find where the swim team meets," Caterina smiled, and handed him a slip of paper. He looked down and saw her number on it.

"So we can do biology homework and stuff like that together," she said, and winked.

After she had walked away, Malik groaned. How could he have been so blind? It was obvious she was hitting on him. Malik shoved the slip of paper in his pocket, and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Altaïr.

**First girl's number, check. Probably should have told her I had a boyfriend.**

He put his phone in his pocket, and walked down the stairs, "Hey Malik!" Malik turned around, and saw Benjamin Church running towards him.

"Hey Ben," Malik said, and the two began walking down the stairs, "What's up?"

"Sofia changed the meeting time," he said, and Malik groaned.

"To when?" he asked, and Ben looked at his phone.

"In about five minutes, so we gotta go," he said, and the two sprinted down the stairs, and out the door, heading towards the gym.

When they got there, Sofia was holding a watch in her hand, and looked up at them, "You're late," she said, and Daniel glared at Benjamin, as the two took their seats.

"Sorry," Malik said, "I got told the wrong time," Sofia didn't say anything, and put the watch in her pocket.

She began talking, saying how the first meet was the beginning of October, so they were expected to keep up on everything, homework and swim team related. Malik looked down at his phone, and saw Altaïr had answered. He decided to wait until the meeting was over before answering.

Once the meeting was over, Malik pulled out his phone and saw Altaïr's answer.

**Haha yeah you should...we got a problem...Maria's here...**

Malik's heart stopped, and he sent a response, heading towards the door.

Daniel watched him leave, then smacked Benjamin in the head, "What the hell was that for?!" he yelled, as the two made their way to their next class.

"He was supposed to miss the meeting," Daniel said, and Church frowned.

"Why? He's on the...you're not going to sabotage him are you?" Church asked, and Daniel rolled his eyes, "Oh. Right. Playing your little game because you actually like him."

"I told you before, and I'll say it again, I don't actually like him," Daniel said, getting defensive.

"Right, you just like the idea of him," Benjamin said, rolling his eyes. Daniel shook his head, "Don't try anything funny at the party, or Sofia will murder you," Benjamin said, and Daniel simply smiled, "Oh no. What are you planning?"

"You think that I'm a heartless person, Church and that hurts me," he said, placing a hand on his heart, "No, but Sofia never said anything about not getting them drunk," Daniel said, and Benjamin chuckled.

* * *

Altaïr stopped at his door, and heard laughter from the other side. He frowned, but opened the door anyways. Robert was probably talking to himself anyways. Altaïr pushed open the door, and heard the laughter again. He stopped, and recognized it.

"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled, and looked over, "Seriously?" he mumbled, and went into his room.

Altaïr threw his books on the bed, and flopped down, face first into the pillow. He needed a smoke, badly. Altaïr got up, and went over to his drawer. He heard Robert and Maria laughing, "When they did become friends?" he asked out loud, and found his pack of cigarettes. He looked down at his phone, and saw a text from Ezio.

**So...Achilles is sick, and I'm worried about Connor, and apparently Cesare wants my help to pass. Help?**

Altaïr chuckled, and shoved the pack in his pocket, then headed back to get his shoes.

He heard Robert's door open, and looked up, "Hey Altaïr," Maria said, smiling, "How was class?" Robert was standing behind her.

"Fine," he answered, and she spied the pack of cigarettes.

"You still smoke? I thought you gave it up," she said, and Altaïr breathed out, putting his shoe on.

"Nope, I lied about that as well," he answered, and she narrowed her eyes, "It doesn't bother Malik, as long as I don't smoke around him," Altaïr said, and left, closing the door.

"Ouch," Robert said, and Maria turned around, "I don't know what you saw in him anyways. He's a royal pain in the ass," Robert said, as he grabbed his books, "Shall we get lunch before class?"

* * *

Altaïr leaned back against a wall, breathing out, and remembered Ezio's text. He pulled out his phone, and sent back a witty response.

**And you said school was boring**

"Hey do you have an extra?"

Altaïr looked up, and saw a a young man with dark hair, standing a few feet away. Altaïr pulled out the pack, and held it out, "Thanks. I couldn't find a smoke anywhere."

"I always have a pack on me," Altaïr explained, and held out his lighter. The man took it, and lit it up, "Plus after running into my ex, I need one," The man chuckled.

"Tell me about it. I have three assignments due all next week, and it's only the first week of classes," Altaïr shook his head, "and my parents said it would be easy. I don't even want to be here."

"Didn't want to go?" Altaïr asked, and the man nodded, "Yeah I feel ya."

"You don't want to be here either?" he asked.

"Well, it was either this, or go serve in the military for a few years, but...Syria's not really a great place to travel lately," Altaïr said, and the man chuckled, "I'm Altaïr."

"Lorenzo," Lorenzo answered, and dropped the cigarette on the ground, putting it out with his foot, "I got class, but thanks for the smoke and chat," he said, and Altaïr nodded. The man walked away, and Altaïr breathed out, thinking about what he had told Lorenzo.

It was true. When he turned 18, his father had given him the option of going back to Syria to serve in the military, or of still going to college. His father explained that he could put in a good word to get him excused, and Altaïr had decided that was the best idea, but lately, he was wondering if he had made the right choice.

His mother and family still lived there, as his parents never married when he was younger. When his father made the decision to leave, they had discussed that it would be better if Altaïr went with him because it was safer. He didn't remember the last time he saw his mother, or even the last time he talked to her.

Altaïr considered Raya more of a mother than his birth one. His birth mother never made an effort to come and see him, or even to get him to go over and visit. His uncle, on the other hand, had been over a few times, along with his grandparents. Altaïr sighed, and dropped the cigarette on the ground, putting it out.

He wondered if Malik ever thought about going over there.

Altaïr's thoughts were interrupted by his phone, and he looked down. It was his dad, "Hello?"

_"Hey Altaïr. I hope I'm not interrupting your class or anything important."_

"No I don't have class for another hour," Altaïr said, and began walking towards the dining hall, "What's up?"

_"I was wondering if you'd have time to see your old man before he leaves on Sunday," _Altaïr sighed.

"You're leaving again? You're barely been home for two months," he said.

_"I know, but it's urgent. They want me back over,"_ Altaïr kicked a rock, _"So, say lunch on Saturday? I want to see you before I go."_

"I always have time for you old man," he said, and he heard his dad chuckle.

_"Alright. I'll let you know when I get in, and we can figure out the rest then. Have a good week, and don't skip any classes, alright?"_ Altaïr chuckled.

"No promises," he said, and hung up. He walked into the dining hall, and went to grab some lunch.

His dad had always been there for him, and Altaïr didn't know what he would do without him.

* * *

_Oh Malik you... lol...We will see how Malik handles the swim team's party, and how Altaïr handles the Maria situation. _

_Until next time!_

_Peace!_


	5. Reunited

"Cesare wants your help?" Desmond asked, shocked and Ezio nodded. The three friends were at the usual coffee shop, doing some reading for their classes.

"Lucrezia asked me herself, and I told her if he wants my help he needs to ask me," Ezio explained, and Connor shook his head.

"And they said high school was the best years of our lives," he said sarcastically, "I'm meeting Aveline's parents the weekend. This will be fun," Connor said, and looked down at his book.

"You haven't met them yet?" Ezio asked, and Connor nodded, "Are you afraid?"

"A bit," Connor admitted, "Cristina was asking about you again Ezio," Ezio rolled his eyes, "I thought you loved the attention from the ladies."

"I don't understand. She's what, three years older than us? Why would she be interested in me?" Ezio asked, and Desmond shrugged.

"Maybe it's your charm," he said, and Ezio glared at him while Connor chuckled. Desmond looked up, "Speaking of charm," he said, and they saw Cesare and Charles Lee walking towards them.

"Great," Connor mumbled, and they turned to face the two. Charles pushed Cesare forward, who rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I got Lucrezia's message," Cesare said, "Will you help me?" he asked, and Connor glanced over at Ezio. Ezio crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, "It's not like you're done anything for me," Charles and Cesare glanced at each other.

"Please. I don't want to go to military school," Cesare begged, and Ezio glanced at his two friends, smirking.

"Maybe," he answered, and Cesare saw the smirk, "You need to beg."

"I already did."

"On your knees beg," Ezio said, and Cesare rolled his eyes, but got down on both knees.

"Please, Ezio Auditore, will you help me pass my classes?" he asked, and Desmond and Connor looked at each other. Ezio made it look like he was thinking, and looked at the ceiling, then down at his phone while Cesare waited for answer.

"Since you asked so nicely, I guess," Ezio finally answered.

"Thank you," Cesare said, and got up. He and Charles turned to leave, walking away from them. Desmond looked over at Ezio, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"You're crazy wanting to help him," he said, and Ezio nodded.

"I know."

* * *

Connor pushed open the front door, and dropped his backpack on the floor. George had called him and said that he and his wife were out running errands, so Connor could wait for them in his house.

Connor took off his shoes, and heard movement in the kitchen. He frowned, and slowly walked towards it. He looked around the door frame, and saw a man standing by the counter, pouring himself a glass of milk. He saw Edward sitting down at the table, "Grandpa?" he asked, and the man turned around. Connor's face lit up, "Dad!"

He ran over and Haytham swept his son into his arms, squeezing him. Connor buried his face in Haytham's shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. Edward chuckled, and took a sip of his coffee, "When did you get back?" Connor asked, after he let him go.

"This morning while you were in school," Haytham answered, and sat down at the table, "I called George last night, and your loving grandpa of course, and let them know that I wanted to surprise you," he explained, smiling. Connor sat down at the table, and Edward placed a plate of cookies in front of them.

"Mrs. Washington made them," he said, and Connor grabbed one, and took a bite.

"So, how's school so far?" Haytham asked, and Connor swallowed.

"Well, my math teacher is off sick, and we have some new douche teaching us," Connor said, and Edward chuckled again, "and the guy Ezio hates wants him to tutor him, and Aveline wants me to meet her parents Saturday, so, great!" Haytham shook his head.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Haytham said, "What about Altaïr and Malik? Are things different without them?" Connor nodded.

"Altaïr's ex is at his college, and Daniel is still being Daniel towards Malik, so nothing new there," he said, and Edward raised his eyebrows, a twinkle in his eye.

"Ah, college," he said, leaning back in his chair, "I remember it well. Well, the one month I was at college," he said, and Connor smiled, "I got an idea. Let's go out for supper, as a celebration of Haytham's return."

"I'm down," Connor said.

* * *

The happy trio went to the local Italian restaurant, one that Connor and his mom used to go to for special occasions, and had just placed their drink orders, "This place is awesome," Connor said, putting down the menu, "I already know what I'm having. The same thing I have every time," Haytham smiled, and looked down at the menu.

"Well, I'll be damned. Edward Kenway."

Edward turned around, "Slap me sideways. Thatch!" he exclaimed, and stood up. An older man with black hair and beard with hints of silver was standing near the table, "It's been too long!" he said, and the two men hugged. Connor gave Haytham a weird look, at which Haytham shrugged, "How many years?"

"I'd say ten," the man answered, "maybe fifteen. God you're gotten old," he said, and Edward punched him in the shoulder.

"I'll say the same thing about you Edward," Edward said, and he looked down at Haytham and Connor, "Oh excuse me. Thatch, you remember my son Haytham, right?" Edward Thatch turned and looked at Haytham.

"Yeah I do," his eyes locked onto Connor, "He must be your grandson, am I right?" Connor nodded.

"Join us!" Edward said, and Thatch sat down. Connor looked over at him.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Connor asked, and the two Edwards looked at each other, then laughed.

"We go way back," his grandpa explained, "We met that one month I was in college, and both ended up dropping out."

"Your grandpa is crazy," Thatch said, "I know for a fact he is," Edward shook his head, "You still got that damn bike?"

"Of course I do!"

Connor leaned over towards Haytham, "Grandpa's friend is...unique," he whispered, and Haytham chuckled.

"Just wait until he gets drunk, then you'll see unique."


	6. Promises And Alcohol

Altaïr heard his phone go off, and rolled over. He picked it up, and squinted. It was Malik. Altaïr yawned, and answered it, "Hello?"

_"Did I wake you?" _Altaïr chuckled, and sat down at his desk.

"Not really," he answered, "How was your first week?" he asked, and heard Malik sigh.

_"Well, it was interesting. There's a swim team get together tonight, at Daniel's place, and I don't know how I feel about it," _Malik said, and Altaïr looked over at the calendar. Right, it was Saturday. His dad was coming to town to visit him before he left again, _"How was your week?"_

"Well, suddenly Maria and Robert are buddies," he answered, "and my dad is heading back to Syria again," Altaïr yawned, and got up. He crawled back into his bed.

_"Didn't he just get back?" _

"Yeah," Altaïr answered, and heard movement outside the door. He was wondering why Robert was awake at this hour, "Why are you awake this early on a Saturday?" Altaïr asked, and he heard Malik chuckle.

_"You know me. I had to go jog to clear my head before I called you. Anyways, I got to go. I'll talk to you later," _Altaïr hung up, and rolled back over, falling asleep again.

The only person he would get up this early on a Saturday was Malik, but now he wanted his sleep before his dad got here.

_Three hours later_

Altaïr heard laughter, and rolled over. Yeah, he should probably get up now. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, then got out of his bed. He got dressed, and looked down at his phone. There was a missed call from his dad. He checked the message, and it was just him saying he was on his way. Altaïr sent him a message and went to grab his shoes.

He heard Maria's laughter, and rolled his eyes. He hoped she wasn't going to be around a lot. Altaïr put his shoes on, and headed downstairs to wait for his dad.

He stood by the door, hands shoved in his pockets, when he saw the white car drive up. Altaïr walked over, and opened the passenger's door, and got in. His dad smiled.

"There's my university boy," he said, ruffling his hair. Altaïr yawned, "You were up late last night."

"No, Malik woke me up early," Altaïr answered, and his dad chuckled, then began driving away.

He drove to a little cafe, and the two went inside, sitting down a table. The waiter took their drink orders, then moved on to the next table, "So," his dad, Umar, asked, "How's college?"

"It's alright," Altaïr answered, running his finger along the edge of his glass, "It's different. Especially not seeing the guys everyday," he added, and Umar chuckled.

"Well, you'll get used to it. Plus you can always come home to visit. I'm sure Raya would love the company while I'm gone," Umar pointed out, and Altaïr nodded.

"When will you be back?" Altaïr asked.

"Before Christmas," his dad answered, and Altaïr raised an eyebrow.

"You said that last time," he said, and Umar gave him the look, "What? It's true. It's like they don't want you to come back once you get over there," Altaïr pointed out, and took a drink of his water. His dad sighed.

"Your mother has been asking about you," he said, "We ran into each other the last time I was over there."

"And what did you tell her?"

"I said you were good, that things were going good and that you were going to college."

"You didn't tell her about Malik did you?" Altaïr asked, and Umar shook his head.

"No, it's not my place. If you want to tell her, you can go right ahead, or you can choose not to. I'm not forcing you," his dad said, and the waiter returned to take their order.

They ate their lunch in silence, listening to the sounds around them. Altaïr looked up at his dad. Sometimes he wished he had a normal job, like what Ezio's dad did or what Desmond's dad did, so he could see him more often. It felt like he was never around, and he knew Raya felt the same way. He had heard her ask him if he was going to retire anytime soon, but Umar,being stubborn, had said no, no until Altaïr was done college.

After lunch, they headed back to residence, and sat in the car in silence. Altaïr looked down at his hands, "My flight leaves in three hours," his dad said, and Altaïr looked up. His dad turned to him, "I promise I'll be home when I said I will. I'm not missing another holiday," Altaïr didn't say anything, but he simply nodded, "I love you son."

"I love you too dad," Altaïr opened the door, and got out. He shut it, and Umar rolled down the window.

"I'll see you when I get back, I promise," Altaïr smiled, and watched his dad drive away. wondering if he would keep his promise.

* * *

Malik looked around the living room, feeling like an outsider. Everyone from the swim team was there, and they were drinking and laughing. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around. Benjamin was standing behind him, a beer in his hand, "Beer?" he asked, and Malik shook his head.

"I don't drink," he answered.

"Seriously?" Church asked, and Malik nodded, "That's a first," he said, and took a drink of the beer.

"It never really interested me," Malik admitted.

"I can get you something else," he offered, and Malik nodded. Church went into the kitchen, where Daniel was mixing up drinks, "Get this, Malik doesn't drink," he said, and Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" Church nodded, "Hmm," Daniel said, and grabbed a cup. He poured some Sprite into it, and added a two shots of vodka, then mixed it up, "Here. This is for Malik."

"Dude, seriously?" Church asked, "He's gonna know."

"He's not gonna know," Daniel said, and walked out to the living room, Church behind him. Church handed Malik the drink, who took a sip and frowned. It tasted funny to him, but he drank it anyways. Daniel looked over, and smiled.

_Two hours later_

Malik wasn't feeling good.

He stumbled down the hall to the bathroom, and pushed the door open. He heard laughter form the living room, but all he could focus on was his stomach that was churning. He bent down by the toilet, and vomited. He groaned, and heard a knock, "Malik you ok?" It was Daniel.

"Yeah I'm great," he slurred, and Daniel opened the door.

"You seem to be loving that toilet," he commented, and Malik threw up again.

"I think there was something in my drink," Malik slurred, and Daniel helped him up, "I've never been drunk before," he said, and Daniel led him to his room..

"Yeah, and you're going to have your first hangover in the morning too," he said, and placed Malik on his bed. Malik slumped down on his bed, and rolled over onto his side. He mumbled something, and pulled out his phone, "What are you doing?" Daniel asked.

"I need to call Altaïr," he said, and Daniel grabbed the phone.

"No. Rule number one when drunk, never text or call anyone," he said, and placed the phone on his dresser, "You need sleep," he said, and Malik looked at him, one eye closed.

"Sure whatever you say," he mumbled, and rolled back over. Daniel chuckled, and crossed his arms. Benjamin came in the room.

"Dude, he's wasted," Benjamin said, "I thought you were only going to give him one," Benjamin asked.

"I did. He must have grabbed the wrong cup," Daniel said, and Church rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say man," he said, "Everyone's getting ready to leave," The two looked at Malik, "He's not going anywhere."

"Nope. He has to sleep it off," Daniel said, and sat down on the bed. He took off Malik's shoes, and dropped them on the floor, "Poor guy. He's going to feel it in the morning," he said, and the two left, shutting the door.


	7. Change of Heart

Connor looked down at the piece of paper, then up at the number on the door. He sighed, and pressed the doorbell, then waited. He was up early for a Saturday, and there was only one reason why.

At school, he had gotten Achilles' address, and decided that he wanted to visit his favorite teacher and see how he was doing. Connor looked around, then heard the door open. A young woman answered the door. She had dark hair that was piled into a bun, and Connor could tell that she was sleep deprived, "Yes?" she asked.

"Uh, is Achilles here?" Connor asked, and she nodded, stepping aside to let him in. Connor took off his shoes, and followed her upstairs.

"Are you one of my dad's students?" she asked, and Connor nodded, "That's nice of you to drop by. He'll really appreciate it," The woman pushed open the door, and Connor saw Achilles lying in his bed, with an older woman by his side, "Dad, there's someone here to see you," Achilles looked up, and smiled.

"Connor, what a pleasant surprise," he said, and the older woman got up, and followed the younger woman out, shutting the door behind them. Connor walked over to the chair, and sat down, "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Connor answered, and handed him a card, "I got my friends to sign it too," Connor said, and Achilles took it from him. He opened it, and chuckled.

"That's very kind of you," he said, and placed it down, "Now, how are things so far this year?" he asked, and Connor sighed, "Not good?"

"Well, your replacement is kinda of a dick," he said, and Achilles chuckled again.

"So I've heard," Achilles looked at Connor over his glasses, "How are things at home?"

"Well, dad came home last night, so that was nice," Connor answered, "And he's going back to work on Monday which will be good."

"I'm glad to hear that," Achilles said, smiling.

"Random question, do you have any advice on meeting parents?" Connor asked, and Achilles raised his eyebrows, "Aveline wants me to meet her parents tonight, and I'm not sure what I should do or wear," Achilles smiled, and leaned back against his pillow.

"Ah, young love. Just be yourself, and I'm sure they'll love you for who you are," Achilles said, and coughed. Connor grabbed the glass of water on the night stand and gave it to him, "Thank you," he said, and took a sip.

"You need your rest," Connor said, and got up, "Is it alright if I stop by tomorrow?" Connor asked, and Achilles nodded.

"I would love that."

* * *

Connor looked down at his phone, then up at the door. His heart was pounding in his chest he was that nervous. He knocked on the door, and an older man opened it. He had dark hair with hints of grey, tanned skin and dark eyes, "You must be Connor," he said, smiling, and Connor nodded, "I'm Aveline's father, Philippe," Philippe said, holding out his hand and Connor shook it.

"It's nice to meet you," he said, and Philippe stepped aside.

"You must be Haytham's son, are you?" Philippe asked, and Connor nodded, "I work with your father," he explained, and Connor began taking off his shoes, "Aveline!"

Aveline appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing a blue dress. She smiled, "Connor you're early," she said, and Connor shrugged.

"I didn't want to get lost," he explained, and Philippe laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

"I'll be in the kitchen," he said, and Aveline came down the stairs.

"You look...really pretty," Connor said, and Aveline chuckled, "Oh, I brought a pie," he said, holding the box out to Aveline. Aveline took it from him, and headed into the kitchen.

"_Papa, _Connor brought dessert," she said, placing the pie on the table. Philippe looked at it.

"Ah apple! My favorite," he said, smiling. Aveline led Connor out to the deck, and he saw a woman with auburn hair sitting on the deck, reading a book. She turned around when she heard Aveline and Connor.

"Connor, this is my step mom, Madeleine," Aveline said, introducing the two. Madeleine stood up, and Connor shook her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you Connor," she said, smiling, "Please, have a seat," Connor and Aveline sat down, and moments later Philippe appeared with a tray of homemade iced tea. Aveline handed on to Connor, then took one for herself, "So, Aveline tells us that this is your last year of high school," Connor nodded, "What are your plans for after?"

"I'm not sure yet," Connor admitted, and Aveline looked at him, her eyebrows raised, "I'm going to keep my options open," he explained, and shot her a look that said he would tell her later.

The group headed inside to eat supper, and made small talk the whole time. Connor started feeling relaxed, and began opening up more. He really liked Aveline's dad. He had a warm personality, and deep laugh, but her step mom seemed cold. Connor felt uncomfortable when he caught her staring at him.

After supper, Philippe and Madeleine had retired to the living room, and Connor and Aveline went outside again, looking at the stars, "That wasn't too bad, was it?" Aveline asked, and Connor shook his head.

"Your step mom seems kind of...cold," Connor said, and Aveline nodded.

"Yeah," she answered, and turned to face him, "So, what do you mean by you're not sure about your plans for after high school? I thought you were going to join the military and that was it," Aveline said, and Connor sighed.

"I went and saw Achilles today, and...well, it got me thinking. Maybe I shouldn't limit myself to just one option. For all I know I could get rejected from the military, and I do have good grades, so if I wanted to go to college, I could get in," He could see that Aveline was still surprised.

"What would you do?" she asked, and Connor shrugged.

"Probably something with math. I'm really good at it. Maybe teaching," he said.

Aveline walked Connor to his car, and they stood there for a while, just looking at each other, "I think they like you," Aveline said, "Well, I know dad does. And I'm sure Madeleine will warm up to you," Connor smiled, and leaned in and kissed her.

"I'll see you Monday," he said, and got in his car. Aveline walked back inside, shutting the door behind her. Connor leaned back, and started the car up, thinking about what he had told Aveline. He sighed, and backed out of the driveway, then headed home.


	8. Sunday Mornings

Malik groaned, and rolled over. His head was pounding, and it felt like the room was spinning. He slowly sat up, and felt the urge to vomit. Malik ran to the bathroom, and made it to the bathroom just in time.

While on the floor, it gave him some time to think. Malik decided that last night was the first, and last time, he'd ever touch alcohol.

He heard a knock on the door, "Malik?" It was Daniel, "Whoa, not feeling to well, are we?" he asked, and Malik shook his head.

"I feel like shit," he muttered, and Daniel chuckled.

"You look like shit. No offense," Daniel said, and Malik stood up.

"I need to get back to res," he said, and walked past Daniel.

"Hey let me give you a ride. You're in no shape to walk home," Daniel pointed out. Malik mumbled something, and followed Daniel out to her car. They passed Benjamin, who simply shook his head and chuckled.

Malik climbed into the driver side, and leaned his head back, eyes shut. He heard Daniel start the car, "I just want to sleep," Malik mumbled, and Daniel looked over at him.

"The team is meeting at the gym later tonight to run some laps. Do you think you'll be up for it?" he asked, and Malik nodded.

"I just need to sleep and eat," he said, and Daniel pulled up to his residence. Malik got out of the car, and walked inside, climbing up the stairs. He felt like shit, and really just needed to sleep.

His phone went off, which didn't help the headache he had. Mali groaned, and answered it, "Hello?"

_"Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?" _It was Connor. Malik pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Connor, not in the mood," he grumbled, and pulled out his key.

_"Are you...hungover? Malik I thought you didn't drink."_

"I don't," Malik answered, and opened the door, "Somebody spiked my drink I think," he shut the door, and flopped in his bed. Rafiq was nowhere to be seen, which was good. Malik didn't want his roommate to see him like this.

_"That sucks. I'd figured I'd call you because_ _Altair said he couldn't get a hold of you," _Malik looked down at his phone and saw five missed calls.

"Yeah, I'll call him later. Connor, don't tell him I'm hungover," Malik asked.

_"I won't. Feel better."_

Malik hung up and shut his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Altair rolled his eyes, as he heard Robert and Maria laughing. He was really starting to get annoyed. Altair pulled out his phone, and saw a text from Connor.

**He's fine. His phone died last night and he forgot to plug it in.**

Altair frowned. That wasn't like Malik to forget about his charger. He was always paranoid that as soon as his phone died all hell would break loose. He would constantly remind all of his friends too to charge their phones and would freak out if they didn't answer him right away.

**That's not like him. Are you sure he's alright?**

Altair put his phone down, and looked back at his computer screen. He was looking at pictures of himself and his dad from when he was younger. He sighed, and heard his phone buzz. He looked down and saw Connor's response.

**He was really tired and it slipped his mind. That's all.**

Altair sighed, and got up, stretching. He grabbed his jacket, and went to put on his shoes. He grabbed his keys, and left the room, walking down the hall. It was one of those days.

Altair went to his spot, and pulled out a ciagrette. He lit it up, and inhaled, then breathed out.

It was going to be a long school year with Robert and Maria around.

* * *

_I am a horrible person for not updating. I am so sorry._

_Also, you may notice that Altair's name is missing the dots above the i. I'm not using my own computer which is a Mac and I haven't figured out how to add the accents, so if anyone knows how to do that on a PC I would be very grateful if you told me how._

_Anyways, until next time!_

_Peace!_


	9. Everyone's Sick

It was now October, and the leaves were beginning to change. Desmond sighed, and shifted his weight from one foot to another. He was stuck waiting for the bus, because all of his friends, were sick and at home, in their beds while he was forced to go to school/

Such joy.

The bus came around the corner, and Desmond pulled out his headphones, and picked a song that could drown out the noises on the bus. He climbed on, and made his way to the back, sitting in a seat by himself. Desmond put the headphones in, and began playing Monster by Imagine Dragons. He looked out the window, watching the houses go by, and ignoring the people around him.

He saw a blur out of the corner of his eye, and looked up.

Vidic was standing by his seat, his mouth moving. Desmond paused the music, "...is that cool?"

"Huh?" Desmond asked.

"Oh I thought you could hear me," Vidic said, "Do you mind? There's no other seats," Desmond looked up, and saw that he was telling the truth.

"Sure," Desmond said, and Vidic sat down. Desmond looked down at his phone, hoping, and praying, that Vidic didn't want to talk to him during the bus ride.

No such luck.

"So how's...Malik, is it?" Vidic asked, and Desmond tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"He's fine. Adjusting. Same with Altair. It's different without them. What about de Sable?" he asked, forcing that question out him. It made him barf that he would even consider asking how de Sable was, but, here he was, sitting next to Vidic, asking Vidic about his friends.

He was serisouly going to kill all of his friends.

"Same. It's funny that Robert and Altair are roommates," Vidic said, and Desmond felt like he was going to barf.

"Yeah it is. I'm sure they love it," Desmond's voice was dripping in sarcasm, but Vidic wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"You know, Robert told me he was always jealous of Altair," Vidic said, and Desmond raised an eyebrow, "He said Altair was always better liked than him, and he couldn't figure out why. I said maybe because Altair is sort of a nice person, while Robert is kind of a dick."

"Why do you talk to him then?" The question shot out of Desmond's mouth before he could stop it. _Damn it Des! You can't keep your damn mouth shut!_ Vidic was equally surprised. He didn't say anything for a while, "I mean, well, yeah...that's what I meant," Vidic shrugged.

"I don't know. It's one of those things that just happens," he answered, and the bus pulled up to the school. Before Desmond could say anything else, Vidic was gone. Desmond sighed, and got up, heading out to the school yard. He shoved his hands in his pockey, and walked towards the entrance.

He would definately have to talk to his friends later about that.

* * *

Connor rang the doorbell at Achilles' house, and waited. He knocked, then waited again. No answer. Yes. he had lied to Desmond by saying he was sick, and yes he was probably dubbed a horrible friend, but Connor was more concerned about his former math teacher.

Once more, Connor rang the doorbell, "They're not home kid," he turned around and saw the mail man.

"Do you know where they are?" he asked, and the mail man put the letters in the mail box.

"Hospital. Ambulance came early this morning," Connor's heart stopped, "The wife and girl went after the ambulance, and that was about ten this morning."

"Thanks," Connor mumbled, and walked back to his car. He fumbled with the keys, then finally got the car unlocked. Connor sat in the driver's seat, staring at the dashboard.

Achilles was really sick.

* * *

Ezio heard his phone go off, and rolled over. He grabbed it, "Hello?"

_"You sound lovely," _It was Leonardo, _"Listen, Connor just called and said that Achilles is in the hospital. He wants to get a card for him and get us all to sign it."_

"I didn't know Achilles was sick," Ezio said, and coughed.

_"No one did. It just hit him suddenly."_

"How's Connor dealing with it?" Ezio asked, and he heard a knock on his door. His sister, Claudia, pushed the door open a bit, and peeked in, "I mean, after what happened last year I'm worried about the kid."

_"Yeah we all are. Anyways, he wants Altair and Malik to sign the card as well, so we're doing a road trip the weekend. Malik has a swim meet Saturday, and Connor already called Altair who said that he'll be out Friday night so we can leave early Saturday morning."_

"You know, 'early', 'Saturday', and 'morning' don't belong in the same sentence," Ezio pointed out, and waved Claudia to come in. She walked over to the bed, and he saw she was holding medicine, "Anyways, I'll call you later tonight so we can iron out the details. Later," He hung up.

"Mom said to take this," she said, and placed it on the bed. Ezio grimaced, "Who was on the phone?"

"None of your business," Ezio snapped, and measured out some of the medicine.

"Was it Leo?" she asked, smirking, and Ezio glared at her, "Ooooo Ezio's got a crush."

"I do not," he said, and took the medicine, "Uugh this taste like shit!" he exclaimed, and handed it back to her, "Get out."

"No I wanna hear more about your crush," Claudia teased, and a pillow came flying at her head, "I'm telling mom!" she yelled, and stormed out. Ezio chuckled, and pulled the blankets back up over his head. drifting off to sleep.


	10. Road Trip

It was very rare that Ezio was right about anything, but if there was one thing he was right on, was that the words 'early', 'Saturday', and 'morning' definitely don't go together.

Desmond yawned, and slumped down in his seat, "We there yet?" he mumbled. Next to him, Ezio had drifted off asleep, his mouth hanging open slightly, and a small line of drool hung from it. Next to Ezio, Connor was also asleep, his head resting against the window frame. Altair was driving, of course, and Leonardo was sitting in the passenger seat. He was awake, and looking at the map, giving Altair directions.

"Almost," Altair answered, and yawned as well. He was tired, as he had taken the bus back late last night and had gotten up early. Raya was still in bed when he left, so he write a note and left it on the fridge. He looked in the rear view mirror, and chuckled at his friends, "Ezio is so attractive right now," he said sarcastically, and Leonardo chuckled.

"Drool makes anyone look attractive," he pointed out.

"Hey I heard that," Ezio snapped, waking up. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, "Seriously, are we there yet?" Leonardo looked down at the map.

"Make a right here Altair," he said, and Altair obeyed, "We're almost there. I say the challenging part will be finding a parking spot."

Sure enough, the parking lot was packed. Altair had to circle around multiple times, until he found one near the science building. The group got out, stretching, and taking in the fresh air.

"This is a nice place," Leonardo remarked, taking in the campus. The group looked around, taking in all the surroundings, "So, where is the competition?" They saw a group of girls standing near a building, and he walked over to them, "Excuse me, where is the swim competition?" One of the girls looked over at him.

"It's in the gym. The big building near the parking lot," she said.

"Thanks," he said, and walked back over to his friends, "Got it!"

The group made their way over to the building, "So...this is what a college gym looks like," Connor said, shifting his backpack from one shoulder to the other, "I wonder where Malik is," Altaïr was on his phone, texting Malik.

"He's not answering so he must be getting ready to compete," Altaïr said, and placed his phone in his pocket, "Come on let's get seats."

* * *

Just as Altaïr had predicted, Malik was indeed getting ready to compete. He was doing his pre-competition routine when Sofia walked in. Malik took out his headphones. Sofia looked around at her team, "You know what I expect from all of you," she said, her eyes shifting to each of their faces, "Make me proud," she said, and left. Malik frowned, and put his phone and headphones in his locker.

"That's all she gives us?" he asked Benjamin, who nodded.

"She prefers to yell, but the other team will hear her if she does," Benjamin explained, and Malik chuckled. Daniel was watching him, and glared at Church, who simply shrugged.

The team headed out to the deck, and took their places. Malik looked around, and saw Ezio's stupid grin. He frowned, and saw his friends in the stands. They all waved at him, and Malik simply shook his head, then took his spot next to Daniel.

The ref blew the whistle, and the first member dove into the water, swimming their laps. The crowd was going wild, cheering loudly. The first member of their team came back, and tagged Church, who jumped in and began swimming. Sofia was pacing, her lips pursed, and Malik saw a stopwatch in her hand. He nudged Daniel, who turned around.

"What is she doing?" he asked low, and Daniel saw Church making his way back.

"She times us herself. For improvement," he explained, "So you better be fast," he said, and Church reached up, tagging Daniel. Daniel dove in gracefully, and began swimming, gliding through the water. Malik suddenly felt nervous. It was bad enough that the ref was timing them, now Sofia was timing him. He breathed out, and took his position on the edge, waiting for Daniel to return.

"I can't watch," Leonardo said, and covered his eyes.

Daniel reached up and tagged Malik, who dove in and began swimming. Daniel pulled himself out, and Church handed him a towel, "Who's ahead?" he asked, and Church grimaced.

"They are, but..." he looked up, "Whoa. Malik is flying!" Daniel turned around, and sure enough, the rookie was swimming the fastest anyone's ever seen him. He was neck and neck with the competition.

Altaïr was leaning forward, his knuckles white from gripping the seat. Leonardo had his eyes covered, while Connor, Desmond and Ezio's gazes never left Malik, "Come Mal, you can beat him," Altaïr whispered.

Suddenly, Malik got a burst of speed, and pulled ahead of his competition. Sofia had stopped pacing and was watching Malik, her hand gripping the stopwatch.

Malik got to the deck first and pulled himself up, the ref stopping the clock. His heart was pounding. Church handed him a towel, "You were flying," he said, and Malik looked up at him.

"I was?" he asked, and Church nodded.

"Sofia couldn't take her eyes off of you," he said, and Daniel saw Sofia walk over, a big grin on her face.

"We got first!" she exclaimed, at the same time the announcer announced the times. Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, Desmond and Leonardo jumped up, cheering louder than anyone in the crowd.

Sofia looked at her watch, "Alright, you have an hour and a half before the individual times, so get refueled and meet back in here in an hour," she said, and the team split. A few members of the team were congratulating Malik on his time, patting him on the back. His friends came down from the stands, and rushed over.

"Malik! You were awesome!" Leonardo exclaimed, throwing his arms around his friend. Malik stumbled backwards.

"Thanks," he said, and Leonardo pulled away, "I wasn't expecting any of you guys to show up, especially you," he said, looking at Altaïr, who shrugged.

"It was kinda of Ezio and Connor's idea," he explained, and Connor reached into his backpack.

"Not to, you know, rain down on your parade, but...Achilles is really sick, and he's in the hospital," Malik's eyes went wide.

"I didn't know he was sick," he said.

"No one did," Connor explained, "I got a card that I want just our group of friends to sign," Malik nodded, and took the pen from him. He wrote a small message on the card, then handed the pen back to Connor, "I really hope it's nothing serious. It would be aw..."

"Malik!"

Malik turned around, and saw Caterina running towards him. She threw her arms around him, hugging him, "You were awesome! You're actually amazing!" she said, smiling and pulled back, then saw his friends, "Am...I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Oh my bad. Caterina, these are my friends Connor, Desmond, Ezio, and Leonardo, and this is Altaïr, my boyfriend," Caterina looked at Altaïr.

"Did you say...boyfriend?" she asked, and Malik nodded, "Whoa, I...I had no idea that you were...That wasn't my first impression of you," she admitted, but smiled at them, "It's nice to meet all of you," she said, and heard her name, "Anyways, I'll see you at the second competition!" she said, and rushed over to her friends. Malik turned and saw his friends smirking.

"Oh shut up."

"That's the girl who was hitting on you?" Ezio asked, and Malik nodded, "Man she looked so disappointed," Malik rolled his eyes, and they all laughed.

"Hey Malik," he turned and saw Daniel. Ezio glanced over at Altaïr, and saw his facial expression had changed, "The team is going to grab lunch, you... wanna join or are you going to spend time with your friends?" he asked, his eyes resting on Altaïr.

"Uh...I'm going to go for lunch with my friends, but I'll meet you back here in an hour," Malik said, and Daniel smirked.

"Don't be late," he said, and winked at Altaïr, then turned to walk away. Altaïr made a move to go after him but Ezio and Desmond stopped him.

"Ok, let's get out of here before Altaïr kills someone," Ezio said, and they all left, heading to one of the restaurants down the street.

"So how's high school without us?" Malik asked, as they walked down the road.

"Horrible," Connor answered, "Cesare is getting Ezio to tutor him, Warren shows up everywhere, Achilles is replaced by Sir McIdiot, and then there's the homework," Malik and Altaïr began laughing, "I don't know how you guys did it."

"Al Mualim is the devil," Desmond said, "He is horrible, and he knows that I'm friends with you two, so now he picks on me. It's wonderful," Malik looked at Altaïr.

"I don't miss it," he said, and Altaïr placed an arm around him.

"Me either."

After the group had lunch, Malik had to go back to the gym for the second competition, and his friends, unfortunately, had to head back home. Malik and Altaïr were off by themselves while everyone else waited at his car, "Hey, thanks for coming out," Malik said softly, "It means a lot to me," Altaïr smiled.

"You know I wouldn't miss it," he said, and now it was Malik's turn to smile.

"Have you heard from your dad since he left?" Malik asked, and Altaïr shook his head.

"It always takes him a couple weeks before he calls us, so I'm sure he's fine," Altaïr said, "How's the whole Daniel thing?" Malik shrugged.

"He hasn't really done anything," Malik answered, "I barely see him expect at swim practice, and when the team gets together to do their homework on Sunday."

"Good, let's keep it that way," Altaïr said, and kissed him, "I'll see you in a few weeks for Thanksgiving," Malik nodded, and made his way back to the gym while Altaïr headed back to his car.

"Took you long enough," Ezio said, grinning. Altaïr rolled his eyes, and his phone went off. He pulled it out, and it was Raya, "Hang on a sec," he said, and answered it, "Hi Raya what's up?"

_"Are you on your way home?" _her voice was shaking.

"Uh yeah, we're leaving now," Altaïr answered, as they climbed into his car, "What's going on?"

_"I'll tell you when you get home,"_ she answered, and he knew something was seriously wrong, _"Just...be careful driving."_

"I will. Bye," Altaïr hung up, "That was weird."

"Is everything ok?" Connor asked.

"I don't know. She didn't say, but...I have a bad feeling about it," Altaïr answered, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards the highway.


	11. Promises

_Once again, I apologize for the lack of dots above Altair's name (in this story and my others) I'm not using my own computer._

* * *

Altair walked through the door and threw the keys on the table, "Raya?" he called, and his step mom appeared from around the corner, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's your dad," Altair's heart stopped.

"What happened?" he asked, and Raya took a deep breath.

"He's been injured. Badly. His squadron was doing a patrol, and they came under fire from a rebel group. Your dad got in the line of fire of a grenade, and..." She trailed off, "I got the call this morning, just after you left."

"I thought you were gonna say he was dead," Altair said, and slumped down on the couch. Raya was clutching the phone to her chest, "Thank god he's alright," Raya sat down next to him.

"I'm waiting for him to call so you can hear it from him," she said, and the phone rang. Raya answered it, "Hello? Yeah he's home now," She held out the phone to him, and got up, heading to the kitchen. Altair put the phone to his ear, and his dad began speaking in Arabic.

_"Hey son."_

"It's good to hear your voice," Altair answered him back in Arabic, "I thought she was gonna say you were dead," His dad chuckled, which was a good sign.

_"It's going to take a lot more than a silly grenade to knock me down," _he answered, _"How was the swim meet?"_

"Good. Malik's team won the first competition, but they had a few more today and tomorrow, so I'll be calling him tonight," Altair answered, and leaned back, propping his feet up, "Have you heard from Uncle Darim yet?"

_"Yeah he stopped by earlier after he heard what happened. Your mother came with him as well. Darim said I never looked better," _Altair smiled.

"Well he's probably right."

_"Hey now, that's not very nice," _His dad began coughing, _"Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive and kicking. I have to go. The doctor is giving me the look that says I need to rest. Give my love to Raya. I love you Altair."_

"I love you too dad," Altair hung up, and breathed out. Raya came around the corner.

"How is he?" she asked, and Altair looked up.

"He's fine, just tired," he answered, and leaned forward. It had been one of those days, "Speaking of tired, I'm gonna nap for a bit. Early rise," he said, and got up. Raya nodded, and Altair went upstairs. He pushed open his bedroom door, and shut it behind him. He flopped down on his bed, and his shoulders began shaking from the sobs that shook his body.

* * *

Connor went up to the desk at the hospital, "I'm looking for Achilles Davenport," he said, and the nurse looked up.

"Room 421," she said, and Connor began walking down the hall, and came to the door. He peered in, and saw a doctor speaking to Achilles. He stood at the door.

"Your cancer is back Achilles," the doctor was saying, as he looked down at a clipboard, "Stage 4," Connor's heart stopped. Achilles sighed, "I'm sorry, I know that you were looking forward to retiring this year," Achilles sighed again.

"My wife and daughter will be devasted," he said.

"Would you rather I tell them?" the doctor asked, and Achilles shook his head.

"It's best they hear it from me," he answered. The doctor nodded, and left the room. Connor poked his head, "Connor. What a nice surprise," he said, forcing a smile. Connor walked in, and pulled a chair over.

"I...overheard you and the doctor," he said, and Achilles sighed again.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, considering that is the last thing you probably want to hear," Connor nodded slowly, and pulled out the card.

"This is from my friends. I got all of them to sign it for you," he said, and placed it on the bed. Achilles smiled, and patted Connor's hand.

"You are still my favorite student," he said, a twinkle in his eye. Connor heard a knock, and turned around. Achilles' wife and daughter stood in the doorway.

"I'll stop by tomorrow," Connor said, and got up and left. He stood by the door, and heard Achilles tell his wife. He heard her sobs, and heard his daughter comforting her. Connor felt tears in his eyes, and quickly left the hospital.

* * *

Connor pushed open his front door, and heard Haytham in the kitchen, humming to himself. He walked into the kitchen and watched for a few minutes. Haytham was learning to cook, and was signed up for a cooking class every Sunday, and they were paying off. He was home at a decent time, and was taking the time to cook a meal so he and Connor could sit together as a family and talk about their day.

Haytham turned around, "Connor! I didn't hear you come in!" he said, smiling. Connor was biting his lip, trying to hold back the tears. Connor sat down at the dining room table, "How was the meet?"

"Good," his voice was shaking, and Haytham noticed. He sat down across from his son.

"Connor what's wrong?" Connor bit his lip harder, but the tears began leaking down his face.

"Achilles has cancer," he said, and broke down. Haytham stood up and walked over to him, hugging his son.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly, "It's going to be ok."

"No it's not," Connor's voice was muffled, "They said the same thing about mom, and then she died. I can't lose both of them, I just can't!" Haytham pulled back and looked at his son.

"We will get through this," he said, "You won't be going through it alone, not this time," Connor nodded, " You have me, and Edward, and your friends. We all care about you, and we'll be here no matter what happens. We're not leaving you, I'm not leaving you ever again."


	12. Crush Crush Crush

"No, that's wrong."

Ezio sighed, and leaned back in the chair. It was the middle of October, and he had started tutoring Cesare, and it was not going very. Cesare sighed, and erased his answer, then began working at the math problem again. Ezio looked around Cesare's room.

When he had Desmond drop him off, Desmond had stopped the car and turned to look at him, "Are you sure about this?" he had asked, and Ezio had nodded, "Alright. If I don't hear from you later tonight I will assume that you're dead."

So far, Ezio wasn't dead, but he was about ready to throw himself out of the window because Cesare was actually stupid. Normally, when he said that about someone, he meant it as a joke, but nope, not this time.

Ezio looked over at the question, and sighed, "You're hopeless," he mumbled.

"Thanks Captain Obvious I had no idea," Cesare said sarcastically, and Ezio glared at him, "I'm getting nowhere."

"You could say that again," Ezio said, and got up, "Do you even care if you pass or not?" Ezio asked, and Cesare shrugged.

"Not really. I don't even like school," he admitted.

"Well no one likes school but that's not the point," Ezio pointed out, "We want to pass school, even if we don't like so we can be done with it and move on with our lives."

"So why do people choose to go to college? If everyone hates school like you said," Cesare asked, crossing his arms, and Ezio sighed.

"I don't know I don't understand everything about life."

"Well you seem to have an answer for everything, including this math problem," Cesare pointed out. Ezio sighed again, and flopped down on Cesare's bed, "Listen, the only reason I considered this is because Lucrezia practically begged me to have you tutor me," Ezio sat up.

"Why would your sister cares who tutors you?" he asked suspiciously, and Cesare shrugged. Ezio looked down at his phone, and saw it was five, "We'll pick this up again tomorrow?" he asked, as he began to gather his books. Cesare nodded.

"Same time same place," he said, as Ezio left his bedroom, a bit confused. He went downstairs, and began putting his shoes on when he heard a voice.

"Hi Ezio."

Ezio looked up and saw Lucrezia, standing in the doorway, "Uh, hey," he said, and looked back down to his shoes.

"How's the tutroing going?" she asked, leaning against the door.

"Uh alright. A bit slow but I'm sure it will be fine," Ezio said, and stood up, "Anyways, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Maybe there are some things you can tutor me in," Lucrezia said, and winked at him. Ezio had to stop from throwing up.

"Uh, yeah. Bye," He said quickly, and left.

Ezio pulled out his phone, and called Leonardo. The phone rang a couple of times until his friend finally picked up, _"Hello?"_

"Dude, Cesare's sister has a crush on me," Ezio said, as he walked down to the bus stop.

_"Are you serious?!"_

"She was just hitting on me before I left, and Cesare said that she was the one who wanted me to tutor him," Ezio explained, waiting for the bus, "It's so weird."

_"That is weird. They both hate you, why would she want to have anything to do with you?"_

"I don't know. It's weird," The bus pulled up, "Wanna meet up to study? I got a math assignment that I need help with."

_"Weren't you just helping Cesare with math?"_ Ezio chuckled.

"Cesare's doing the easy math. This is hard math."

* * *

_Sorry it's a short one! Next chapter is going to be longer!_

_Be prepared for the next chapter; things are about to go from bad to worse._

_Until next time!_

_Peace!_


	13. Tragedy Strikes

_WARNING: You may want to grab some tissues, and don't read this chapter with other people around. Prepare your heart for some feels._

* * *

It was Friday, and Altair had decided to go home for the weekend. Ever since his dad had been injured, he felt that he needed to go home and check up on Raya, making sure that she was ok. He knew it was hard for her, with him away at college and Umar in Syria again, but she was a strong woman. She had to be, especially being married to his father.

Altair got off the bus, and saw Raya waiting for him. She smiled, but saw something was wrong. Her eyes looked sad, and it looked like she had been crying, "Are you ok?" he asked, as she hugged him, tighter than normal.

"Yeah everything's fine," she said, her voice shaking. Altair frowned, but didn't say anymore, following her to the car. He climbed in the passenger seat, and Raya began driving away, "How's school?" Altair shrugged.

"Alright. Nothing special," he answered, checking his phone. He knew Malik had a lab, but had sent him a text letting him know that he was home for the weekend and that he might go out to see him, "Boring," Raya forced a smile, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, just tired," she answered, and Altair just nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

They got back to their house, and Raya turned the engine off, gripping the steering wheel, "I have to run some errands, but I'll be back later," she said, and Altair nodded, getting out of the car. He got his bag from the back seat, and went inside, shutting the door behind him.

He walked over to the couch, and flopped down, picking up the remote and began channel surfing.

* * *

Connor walked slowly to Achilles' room, and looked in. His former math teacher was asleep, the only sound was the beep of the heart monitor. He walked in the room, and pulled a chair over next to the bed, sitting down. He placed the card on the small table, which was overflowing with gifts and cards from students and family.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you  
I'll be the one, if you want me to_

Connor sighed, and reached out to touch Achilles' hand, letting him know that he was there. Achilles' fingers twitched, but other than that he stayed asleep. Connor bit his lip, fighting back the tears.

_Anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

* * *

Altair heard the door open, and heard voices. He frowned, and stood up. He walked around the corner, and frowned, "Mom? Uncle Darim?" he asked, a bit confused. Altair's mother, Maud, had tears in her eyes when she looked at her son, "What are you doing here?" he asked, and Raya walked over to him.

"You need to sit down," she said, and he saw tears in her eyes. She led him into the living room, Darim and Maud behind him. Altair sat down on the couch, and Raya sat down next to him.

_And I am feeling so small  
It was over my head  
I know nothing at all_

"Earlier today, I got a phone call from the army," Raya began, "And...they told me that...there had been a bombing, close to where the army's hospital is," Altair felt his heart stop, "And...the hospital was affected by it, and...your father...was in the hospital when the bomb hit..."

_And I will stumble and fall  
I'm still learning to love  
Just starting to crawl_

"There was no survivors," his uncle said quietly, and Altair turned and looked at him.

"No," he said, standing up.

"Altair," Raya began, standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder, but he brushed her off.

"No!" he yelled, and turned to run, but Darim caught him in his arms. Altair's shoulders began shaking, his sobs racking his body. Raya placed a hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes, and tears were streaming down Maud's face silently.

"I'm so sorry," Darim whispered, stroking his nephew's hair.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you  
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you  
Anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

* * *

Connor squeezed Achilles' hand, "You gotta fight," he whispered, tears in his eyes, "You gotta fight Achilles. I can't lose someone else close to me," he whispered, and he felt Achilles' hand twitch again.

_And I will swallow my pride  
You're the one that I love  
And I'm saying good-bye_

Connor heard the monitor stop, and looked up. It had flatlined, "Help!" he yelled, jumping up, "Someone help!" he ran into the hall, "Someone help please!" he yelled, and doctors rushed past him shoving him out of the way. Connor turned around, and watched as the doctor began performing CPR on him, yelling at his collegues.

"Prepare the OR," he said, and Connor watched as they rushed him out of the room, and down the hall. Connor leaned back against the wall, and began sliding down. He leaned his head back, shutting his eyes, trying to prevent the tears from flowing.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you  
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you  
And anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

Connor heard the doctors yelling, and he saw Achilles' wife and daughter in the waiting room, hugging each other and crying. Connor leaned forward, resting his head against his knees, tears running down his face.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you  
Say something..._

* * *

"Ugh stupid math," Desmond groaned, and pushed his assignment away.

Himself, Leonardo and Ezio were at their usual coffee shop, attempting to finish a math assignment, but it wasn't going so well. Ezio sighed, and leaned back, "Where's Connor when you need him?" he asked.

"Visiting Achilles," Leonardo answered, and Ezio's phone went off. Ezio pulled it out, and his facial expression changed, "Ezio?"

"What's wrong?" Desmond asked, and Ezio put his phone down, his hands shaking.

"Altair's dad..." he began, and Leonardo grabbed his phone. Leonardo looked up at Desmond and Ezio.

"'There was a bombing in Syria, and the hospital my dad was in got hit, and there was...no...survivors...'" Leonardo read, and placed the phone down, "Oh my god..." he whispered. Desmond placed his pencil down.

The three sat in silence, until Ezio's phone went off again. Ezio picked it up, "It's Connor," he said, his voice shaking, and he answered it, "Hello?"

_"Achilles' is in a coma," _Connor said, his voice shaking, _"I was visiting him and...his heart stopped, and I thought he was dead but..." _He trailed off.

"Connor, I...I don't know what to say," Ezio said, his vocie still shaking.

_"What's wrong?" _

"Altair's dad...he..." Ezio trailed off, biting his lip, holding back the tears. Leonardo took the phone from him, and took a deep breath.

"Altair's dad is dead," he said, "The hospital he was in in Syria got bombed, and there was no survivors," There was silence on the other end.

_"Oh god...is...is Altair home?"_

"Yeah he came home for the weekend. Would you be able to meet us there? " Leonardo asked.

_"Yeah no prob I'll be right there,_" Leonardo hung up, and gave Ezio his phone back. Desmond stared at the table, while Leonardo tapped his fingers against it.

"We should go," Desmond said, and the three got up, gathering their books. They left the coffee shop, and got in Desmond's car. Desmond gripped the steering wheel, "Malik," he said, "Who's going to tell him?" he asked, and Leonardo and Ezio looked at each other. Leonardo pulled out his phone.

"I'll do it," he said, and dialed his friend's cell number. It rang a few times, then went to voicemail.

_"Hey it's Malik leave a message."_

Leonardo took a deep breath, "Hey Mal, it's Leo. Um, I need you to call me when you get this. It's important," Leonardo hung up, and Desmond began driving.

* * *

There was a knock at the door, and Altair walked over to it. He opened the door, and saw Connor, soaked, "Leo told me," he said, and Altair moved aside, letting him in, "They're on their way," Altair didn't say anything. His face was pale, and his eyes red. Connor saw Raya, and two other people in the kitchen, "Who's that?" he asked.

"My mom and uncle," Altair said quietly, and they went in the living room. Altair sat on the couch, staring at the ground. There was a knock and Connor got up to answer it. He opened the door, and saw it was his friends.

"That was fast," he remarked, as the three friends went inside.

"I can't get ahold of Malik," Leonardo said, sending their friend a text. Desmond looked around the corner, and saw Altair. He walked over and sat down next to him, palcing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, and Altair looked at him. Leonardo was on his phone, trying to get a hold of Malik, but with no use.

"Why won't he pick up his phone?" he yelled, and Connor heard his phone go off. It was Aveline. He hit talk.

"Hello?"

_"Connor where are you?" _Her voice was frantic.

"I'm at Altair's why?" he asked.

_"There's been a car accident," _she said, _"Two cars. Everyone was sent to the hospital."_

"Ok, uh..." Then it hit him, "Aveline, please tell me it wasn't someone we knew," he said, and everyone turned to look at him. There was a pause, "Aveline?"

_"Malik and Kadar were in one of the cars," _Connor's heart stopped, and he lowered the phone. He turned to his friends.

"Connor what is it?" Ezio asked. Connor looked down at his phone, then back up at them.

"Aveline just told me there was a car accident," he answered, "And..." He bit his lip, "Malik and Kadar were in one of the cars."

* * *

_AHHHH the feels! Gonna admit, I got teary eyed while writing this chapter. It was very tough to figure out how I wanted to go about it._

_Until next time._

_Peace. _

_Also, the song used in the beginning is "Say Something" by A Great Big World._


	14. Rain Delays

_So I think we can all agree that I'm a horrible person for having so many bad events happen in one chapter but not everything can be roses!_

_Anywho, here's the next chapter in which things get a bit better._

* * *

The group of friends rushed to the hospital, and to the main desk, "We're looking for Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf," Leonardo said, and the nurse typed the names into the computer.

"They're still in surgery," she said.

"Where are their parents?" Connor asked.

"In the waiting room," she answered, and the group took off towards the waiting room, Raya, Maud and Darim behind them.

Sure enough, Malik and Kadar's parents were in the waiting room. Their father was pacing, his arms crossed over his chest while his wife was sitting in a chair, hands clasped together, her face pale and pinched, "Mr. and Mrs. Al-Sayf," Ezio said, and they turned to face them, "What happened?" he asked, sitting down in front of Malik's mother. She looked up at Altaïr, and tears appeared in her eyes.

"We heard about your father, and we called Malik as soon as we knew. He came home as soon as he could, and he and Kadar were on their way to your house, when…." she trailed off.

"The other person ran a red light," Malik's dad explained, "He's in surgery as well. Police discovered that he was drunk. Can you believe it?" He was shaking.

"I'm sure they'll be alright," Leonardo said, and turned to his friends. Altaïr was sitting down, Desmond next to him. Ezio and Connor were on their phones, calling the rest of their friends. Raya sat down next to Mrs. Al-Sayf and took hold of her hands, squeezing them. Darim walked over to Mr. Al-Sayf.

"You must Malik's father," he said, and held out his hand, "Darim Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr's uncle."

"Faheem, Al-Sayf," Malik's dad said, and the two shook hands. He looked over at Maud, "I'm assuming that she is Altaïr's mother," Darim glanced over his shoulder, and nodded.

"Maud," he said, and the woman walked over. Faheem could definitely see where Altaïr got most of his appearance. They had the same color hair and the same eyes, "I know some Al-Sayf's in Syria," Darim said.

"We moved shortly after Kadar was born," Faheem explained, "It's unfortunate that we met under these circumstances," Darim nodded, "Your nephew and my son are best friends, have been ever since they met. I just can't believe this happened. Malik came home to surprise Altaïr, as it's hard doing long distance," Maud frowned.

"Long distance?" she asked, confused. Raya looked up at them, "I don't understand what you mean."

"Long distance relationship," Faheem explained, and Maud and Darim exchanged a look, "You…you didn't know?" he asked.

"My brother briefly mentioned that Altaïr was dating someone, but never went into the details of it," Darim explained.

Desmond nudged Altaïr, "Smoke?" he asked, and Altaïr nodded. The two got up, and went outside to the smoking area. Desmond pulled out his pack, and handed one to Altaïr.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and pulled out his lighter. He inhaled, then breathed out, shutting his eyes.

"They'll be fine," Desmond said, placing his cigarette up to his lips, "They're both strong, they can fight this."

"I didn't know Malik was coming home," Altaïr said, leaning against the wall, "This wouldn't have happened if…"

"Altaïr you can't blame yourself," Desmond said, cutting him off, "It's not your fault. None of this is," he said, and dropped his cigarette to the ground, stepping on it. Altaïr did the same, and breathed out, "Come on. Let's go back inside. It's starting to rain again."

The group sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours, until finally a doctor came out, taking off his gloves. Malik's parents stood up, "Well?" Faheem asked, his arm around his wife.

"They're stable, and they'll live," Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, "Malik and Kadar are very lucky. It could have been a lot worse."

"Can…can we see them?" Malik's mother asked, and he nodded. They followed the doctor to the room, as he explained the extent of their injuries and saying they put them in the same room.

Leonardo put his arm around Altaïr, squeezing him, "They're ok," he said, and Altaïr nodded slowly, "Thank god," Rebecca and Aveline ran into the waiting room.

"What's going on? Are they ok?" Rebecca asked in between breaths.

"They'll live," Connor said, as he put an arm around Aveline.

"Thank god," Aveline said, and she looked over at Altaïr. Aveline pulled away from Connor, and sat down next to him, "How are you holding up?" she asked, and he shrugged. Malik's parents came out.

"You can go see them now," Faheem said, looking at his son's friends. They got up, and walked into the room.

When they walked in the room, Kadar turned his head and looked at them, "What are you all doing her?" he asked, and Leonardo chuckled, walking over to him.

"To make sure you and your brother are alive," he answered.

"We're fine. See?" He tried to lift his arm, but winced. Leonardo gently pushed his arm back down.

"Don't hurt yourself more," Ezio said, and Kadar rolled his eyes. He saw Altaïr.

"Altaïr," he said, "I'm sorry about your dad," Altaïr forced a smile, and walked over to Kadar's bed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it. Connor walked over to Malik, and pulled over a chair.

"Malik?" he asked, but there was no response.

"He's asleep," Kadar piped up, "He's in a lot of pain, so the doctor gave him some magic sleeping pills to help with the pain," Altaïr walked over, and stood next to Connor, taking in Malik's injuries.

His left arm was in a sling, and there was a bandage wrapped around his head. He had bruises on his neck and face, along with a few cuts here and there. Altaïr looked over at Kadar, and saw that he also had a bandage wrapped around his head. His right leg was propped up, wrapped in a cast, and he also had some bruises and cuts.

"He's not going to be able to swim for a while," Altaïr said, and sat down in another chair, "His scholarship…"

"I'm sure his coach will understand," Connor reassured him, "She can't be that heartless," A nurse came in and ushered them out, saying that they needed their rest. Kadar complained, saying he wasn't tired, but the nurse insisted, so he complied.

They said their good-byes, and left the hospital, expect for the Al-Sayfs. Altaïr climbed in the front seat of the car, while Darim climbed into the driver's side. Raya and Maud sat in the back. Altaïr stared out the window, but he could feel his mother's eyes on him. No one spoke for the longest time, the only sound was the radio, until Maud broke the silence.

"Your father never mentioned you were dating someone," she said, and Altaïr didn't answer.

"He told me Maud," Darim said, "It must have slipped my mind to mention it," Raya didn't say anything, "How long have you and Malik been together?"

"Almost a year," Altaïr answered, looking out the window.

"When were you going to tell us?" Maud asked, but Altaïr knew she meant just her.

"I don't know. Sometime," he answered.

"Maud it's fine," Darim said.

"How is it fine Darim? My own son won't tell me anything that goes on in his life, and the only time I heard from him is when you call them or when Umar called us."

"And you're saying you made an effort?" Altaïr snapped, "When was the last time you called or came to visit or offered to buy me a ticket so I could see you? Did you forget you had a son after I left? Or were you glad to have me out of your life?"

"Altaïr…"

"I'm walking home," he said, and Darim pulled over to the curb. Altaïr got out and slammed the door, storming away from the car. Darim breathed out, and looked at Maud by the rear view mirror. She didn't say anything, just pressed her lips together.

Altaïr shoved his hands in his pockets, his head bent. It had started to rain again, so he quickly moved to the side of the road that had the most overhangs. He sighed, and stopped, leaning back against the brick wall. He shut his eyes, and tears began running down his face.

Everything was wrong.

He opened his eyes, and decided to head back to the hospital. His dad made him a promise, saying that he would be home for the holidays. Malik was supposed to get scouted for an even bigger swim team, and become famous, as Ezio believed he was the only one of them with a chance of becoming famous. They were all going to be together over the holidays, celebrating and being happy, but that wasn't going to happen.

Altaïr walked through the doors, and made his way back to Malik and Kadar's room. Malik's parents weren't in the waiting room, so Altaïr assumed that they were either in the cafeteria or gone to inform their coworkers of their sons' status. He walked over to the door, and pushed it open.

Kadar was asleep, his chest rising and falling. Altaïr could hear light snoring, and it brought a smile to his face. Whenever he used to go over to their house, and they would attempt to stay up all night, he and Malik used to try and get Kadar to fall asleep first just so they could record his snoring. The younger Al-Sayf brother would get defensive and say that he didn't snore, even though they had proof. Altaïr heard movement, and walked over to Malik's bed. Malik blinked a few times, "Altaïr," his voice was hoarse.

"Hey," Altaïr pulled a chair over, and sat down, "You were asleep earlier when I came in," he said, "Are you in a lot of pain?" Altaïr asked, and Malik nodded.

"My arm is killing me," he said, and looked over at his brother, who was asleep.

"He's fine. He didn't want us to leave," Altaïr explained, and Malik smiled.

"He called the ambulance. I was passed out. I hit my head off the steering wheel," he explained. Altaïr was silent, and Malik saw tears running down his face. Malik reached out his hand, and Altaïr took it, squeezing it, "I'm sorry about your dad," he whispered, and tears began running down his face. Altaïr blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the tears.

"I miss him so much," Altaïr said softly, and wiped his eyes. Malik nodded slowly, then moved over to one side of the bed, "What are you doing?" Altaïr asked, and Malik patted the bed.

"Stay. Please," he said, and Altaïr nodded. He took off his shoes, and climbed onto the hospital bed. Altaïr placed his head on Malik's chest, and shut his eyes, the tears flowing freely. Malik placed his free arm around his boyfriend, pulling him close, and rested his head against Altaïr's. He listened to Altaïr's soft sobs, and was thankful that he and Kadar had survived.

He couldn't imagine the grief for Altaïr if he had lost his father and them in the same day.

* * *

Connor pushed open the front door of his house, and closed it behind him. He shut his eyes, listening to the rain hit the windows, "Connor?" He heard Haytham's voice from the kitchen, "Is that you?"

"Uh, yeah," he answered, and Haytham came around the corner.

"You're soaked," he said, and walked over to his son, taking his wet coat and shoes. Haytham went downstairs to the laundry room, then came back up, "Are you ok?" he asked, and Connor shook his head, tears running down his face. Haytham led him to the kitchen. Edward was at the table, reading the paper, but he stopped when he saw his grandson.

"What happened?" he asked, as Connor sat down, Haytham next to him.

"Achilles is in a coma, Altaïr's dad was killed and one of my best friends and his brother were in a car accident," Connor said, and Haytham placed his arm around his son, pulling him close. Edward took off his glasses, and placed them on the table.

The three of them sat in silence, the only sound was the rain hitting the windows.

* * *

Desmond was curled up on the couch, a blanket pulled around him. He was holding a glass of water, staring at it, "Des?" He looked over his shoulder, and saw his dad, who yawned, "It's two in the morning. Are you just getting home?" Desmond nodded, and Bill knew something was wrong, "What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to the couch. He sat down next to his son.

"Everything," Desmond answered, and looked at his dad, who saw that he had been crying. Bill placed an arm around his son, squeezing him.

"It will get better," he said softly, hugging his son, "It doesn't seem like it now, but it will, I promise you."

* * *

Ezio sat at the kitchen table, fingers tapping against the granite counter top, "Baby brother?"

Federicco was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, "Why are you awake?" he asked, walking over to join him.

"Can't sleep," Ezio answered, and Federicco sat down next to him.

"Is everything ok?" Ezio shook his head, "What happened?"

"Altaïr's dad was killed, Achilles is in a coma, and Malik and Kadar were in a car accident and are in the hospital," he answered.

"Shit," Federicco said, and breathed out. He stood up, and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Come on. You can sleep in my bed tonight, like you did when you were younger," Ezio nodded, and followed his brother downstairs, the rain pounding against the windows.

_And I need someone to believe in  
Yeah, someone to fill this space with grace  
Someone to look into my eyes and touch my face  
To make me feel alive today_

* * *

_Yes Bill, it will get better in time._

_Until next time._

_Peace._


End file.
